Will Cyprus Join the Schengen Zone in 2025?

There has been speculation for a while now about whether or not Cyprus, an island nation off the coast of Turkey, will join the Schengen zone.

One of only two EU countries not in the Schengen area (the other being Ireland), there have been a few explicit signs pointing towards a resounding yes, but it isn't definitive.

Will Cyprus join the Schengen area in 2025?

They're on their way.

In July of 2023, Cyprus put SIS into place. SIS, or the Schengen Information System, is a database used amongst all Schengen countries (of which there are currently 29). This technological index allows countries to share sensitive information, anything from stolen vehicles and criminal records to missing persons.

Earlier this year, the President of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides, announced that Cyprus would meet all of the technological requirements, the implementation of SIS being one of them, by the end of the year (2025).

Meeting technological requirements doesn't give Cyprus a carte blanche to join the zone, however.

Joining the Schengen area is a big undertaking. Alongside SIS, candidates must also:

• Prove strong border controls. This includes robust infrastructure, technology, and a well-staffed workforce.
• Adopt Schengen visa policies and requirements. Countries in candidacy have to embrace the Schengen visa process and all that comes with it, such as allowing visa holders to move freely through the entire area.
• Be able to protect personal data. Strong privacy laws and reliable foundations must be in place to protect both Schengen residents and travelers.
• Cooperate. Candidates have to show that they will cooperate with national police forces and relevant agencies to protect the integrity of the entire Schengen area.
• Undergo a rigorous evaluation process. This assessment ensures that the country in question can fully meet all of the technological, safety, and procedural demands.
• Get unanimous approval. Alongside proving that the candidate meets all of the requirements set by the Schengen area, it must also get unanimous approval from every other country in the Schengen area.

Cyprus is taking its integration seriously, allegedly having dedicated an entire team at their Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the project (according to IMI Daily).

If Cyprus meets all of the requirements, including unanimous approval, it will be the 30th country to join the Schengen area, following the most recent members, Bulgaria and Romania.

Whether or not it happens in 2025 depends on Cyprus's ability to meet all of the conditions to join and whether or not their approval is unanimous.

What will change if Cyprus joins the Schengen area?

If Cyprus joins the Schengen zone, all travelers to the Schengen area and Cyprus will be affected.

Anyone traveling to the Schengen area would be able to visit Cyprus without needing to pass through border security, so long as they hadn't left the area entirely.

For those heading to Cyprus specifically, travelers would need to apply for a Schengen visa if they're not from a visa-exempt country. Citizens of China, India, South Africa, and other countries would need to apply for a Schengen visa before traveling to Cyprus, should they enter the agreement.

For travelers who are visa exempt (such as US, UK, and Canadian citizens), joining the Schengen zone would necessitate ETIAS approval before traveling to Cyprus, once ETIAS is fully operational (expected autumn of 2025).

About Cyprus

Cyprus is a country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, not far from the coasts of Turkey and Serbia. It has been a member of the EU for over 20 years, having joined in May 2004.

A small country, Cyprus is only 3,572 sq mi (or 9,251 sq km), which is about the size of Puerto Rico. Its population is just shy of a million, at 933K as of 2024. Greek is the main spoken language.

With its warm weather and subtropical climate, Cyprus sees a lot of tourism. While Nicosia is the capital city, it can be extremely hot in the summer, driving tourism to more coastal locations such as Paphos, Limassol, and Larnaca.

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